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Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 05 2011 11:32 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Mar 06 2011 12:04 AM

Here's a place where the more charitable of us can wish our friends to the south the best of luck with their path to a fated, inevitable third championship. I mean, who's beating that ridiculous, entirely-immune-to-injury rotation? Of course, their destiny's having been so patently revealed could bleed the drama from this season, one might reasonably assume. One would be wrong... or at least, lacking a taste for the countless subtleties of how they'll successfully ford all of the obstacles a jealous, alcoholic-children-hating God might place in their path. This is in no way a jinx thread. After all, you don't make a not-overpriced, not-at-all-thin-in-the-starting-lineup omelette without breaking a few cortisone syringes or hamate bones, right?

batmagadanleadoff Mar 05 2011 11:41 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 06 2011 05:58 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I'm skeptical of the Phillies also. They only need to look at the Mets for guidance as to going into a season without a real right fielder. Also, pitching is weird. They will be hard to beat most nights for sure, but they still will need a lot to go right each night including the bullpen, and avoid injuries or it could get ugly.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 06 2011 07:42 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

And Chase Utley can barely walk.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 06 2011 12:04 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Ibanez is creaky, too, and Rollins has produced less in the last two years than Reyes has. If this is anything more than a little rustiness for Utley, and Rollins breaks down (bodily or production-wise) they may looking at a double order of Replacement Player in the middle, less'n they can find a real supplicant trade partner. I'm sure it's nothing, though.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 06 2011 12:22 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

The next Phillies' shortstop:

Edgy DC Mar 06 2011 12:54 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

More importantly, their next secondbaseman:

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 06 2011 01:04 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Delightful. Delicious. Delovely. Can we get a Blanton for that?

Edgy DC Mar 06 2011 01:16 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Well, the first step is showing that he can outplay Wilson Valdez.

TransMonk Mar 11 2011 01:30 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Utley injury highlights cause for concern in Philadelphia Chase Utley, 32, seems to have aged quickly. He suddenly seems older for an everyday middle infielder with significant injuries to his hand, thumb, hip and right knee over the past four seasons, older for a guy who late last season already looked less fluid trying to play second base. Now, after his knee did not respond to rest -- ominous for an overuse injury to be this troublesome after a winter of rest -- he may need surgery. Guess how many second basemen as old as Utley played 130 games at the position last year. That would be one: Chone Figgins, who was awful (84 OPS+). Welcome to baseball in the Testing Era, where the actuarial tables have been rewritten. Ten years ago, in 2001, before testing, six guys 32 and older played 130 games at second base -- that's four years worth of such players in today's game (2007-10). Utley's ferocious work habits and hard style of play, not to mention plain bad luck, could be catching up to him. And that's the problem with the Phillies, your presumptive 2011 National League champions. They are an older team: Ryan Howard, 31, Utley, 32, Carlos Ruiz, 32, Jimmy Rollins, 32, Placido Polanco, 35, Raul Ibaņez, 38 . . . and now they want to replace Utley with Wilson Valdez, 32, who never batted 350 times in a season? The fallout from signing Cliff Lee is that the Phillies don't have room to add an established player at significant cost. But that may not be a bad thing for Philadelphia. It is better off finding a young, athletic, defensive-minded second baseman to stand in for Utley if he is out for a lengthy spell -- especially with all the money it has invested in pitching. Oh, and about that great starting rotation? Do you expect them to make all of their starts? Lee is 32, Roy Oswalt is 33 and Roy Halladay is 33. It is unusual for three guys on the same team age 32 and older to make at least 32 starts. It's happened only seven times since 1901, only four times without a knuckleball pitcher among the trio, and only once in the past 17 years -- back in 2001 when John Burkett, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux of the Braves made the 32/32 club without the strain of needing plus-velocity. The Phillies are still a force to be reckoned with in the National League, but the Utley injury brings their worst-case scenario into play. They look like a great team on paper, but because of age, durability is Philadelphia's concern. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/w ... z1GKCiQ37U

Fman99 Mar 12 2011 05:17 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Utley injury highlights cause for concern in Philadelphia Chase Utley, 32, seems to have aged quickly. He suddenly seems older for an everyday middle infielder with significant injuries to his hand, thumb, hip and right knee over the past four seasons, older for a guy who late last season already looked less fluid trying to play second base. Now, after his knee did not respond to rest -- ominous for an overuse injury to be this troublesome after a winter of rest -- he may need surgery. Guess how many second basemen as old as Utley played 130 games at the position last year. That would be one: Chone Figgins, who was awful (84 OPS+). Welcome to baseball in the Testing Era, where the actuarial tables have been rewritten. Ten years ago, in 2001, before testing, six guys 32 and older played 130 games at second base -- that's four years worth of such players in today's game (2007-10). Utley's ferocious work habits and hard style of play, not to mention plain bad luck, could be catching up to him. And that's the problem with the Phillies, your presumptive 2011 National League champions. They are an older team: Ryan Howard, 31, Utley, 32, Carlos Ruiz, 32, Jimmy Rollins, 32, Placido Polanco, 35, Raul Ibaņez, 38 . . . and now they want to replace Utley with Wilson Valdez, 32, who never batted 350 times in a season? The fallout from signing Cliff Lee is that the Phillies don't have room to add an established player at significant cost. But that may not be a bad thing for Philadelphia. It is better off finding a young, athletic, defensive-minded second baseman to stand in for Utley if he is out for a lengthy spell -- especially with all the money it has invested in pitching. Oh, and about that great starting rotation? Do you expect them to make all of their starts? Lee is 32, Roy Oswalt is 33 and Roy Halladay is 33. It is unusual for three guys on the same team age 32 and older to make at least 32 starts. It's happened only seven times since 1901, only four times without a knuckleball pitcher among the trio, and only once in the past 17 years -- back in 2001 when John Burkett, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux of the Braves made the 32/32 club without the strain of needing plus-velocity. The Phillies are still a force to be reckoned with in the National League, but the Utley injury brings their worst-case scenario into play. They look like a great team on paper, but because of age, durability is Philadelphia's concern. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/w ... z1GKCiQ37U Yay.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 15 2011 09:33 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Thank the Philadelphian Goat God that they're so deep in the infield; otherwise, another starter re-injuring a surgically-repaired body part might be some cause for concern. (Lidge has missed two turns with biceps tendinitis, too.)

metirish Mar 16 2011 06:57 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Yep , they are an older team , yet I saw that Cliff Lee cited one reason he chose the phillies over the MFY is that they the yankees are an old team.....I guess he didn't look at the phils roster...

Edgy DC Mar 16 2011 07:10 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Well, it might be asking for trouble to say what he actually thinks.

bmfc1 Mar 20 2011 05:48 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Castillo to the Phillies. I couldn't be happier. What great news for the rest of baseball. http://proxy.espn.go.com/blog/new-york/ ... o-phillies

Edgy DC Mar 20 2011 07:04 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

First with that story? Edgy DC two weeks ago. Minor shame they couldn't have gotten anything for him, though.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 20 2011 07:12 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

He's totally going to terrorize us.

Willets Point Mar 20 2011 07:57 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: He's totally going to terrorize us. He'll bunt us into submission.

Ceetar Mar 20 2011 08:07 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Willets Point wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: He's totally going to terrorize us. He'll bunt us into submission. I forsee a lot of "Ryan Howard strikes out, Castillo stranded at second" in the Phillies future.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 20 2011 08:31 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Is it just me, or was Castillo a terrible pest against us with the Marlins? I seem to recall he was, at least one year. /Looks it up... Yup.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 20 2011 08:45 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Well, his last four years in the NL, yes. But then, he was facing Mets pitching circa 2002-2005. Overall, his numbers as an opponent are just about his career averages. He's not especially good against the Flushings. Polanco and Lidge have both been out over a week now.

smg58 Mar 22 2011 11:10 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2011/news/story?id=6246728 To paraphrase a friend of mine, file that one under -- "not our problem!"

Nymr83 Mar 22 2011 09:56 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I would just LOVE to see this Phillies team fall apart and not meet any of the lofty expectations. I'd even rather see Atlanta win the division.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 23 2011 07:20 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Me too.

Centerfield Mar 23 2011 07:56 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I never realized Charlie Manuel was so racist.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 23 2011 01:28 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

GOOD LORD! DUCK!

bmfc1 Mar 25 2011 07:39 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

From Buster Olney, today: Every day seems to bring a new concern in the Phillies' camp, and on Thursday, the concerns were for Brad Lidge, who is scheduled to pitch today for the first time since March 11. Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel essentially said that the results for Lidge will tell the team a lot about his progress. Chase Utley is headed to the DL, as expected, and Placido Polanco is being activated. Reporters covering the team tweeted on Thursday that Utley will address his medical situation one more time before camp breaks. Luis Castillo has not wowed the Phillies yet.

Edgy DC Mar 25 2011 08:01 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I'll snicker at Utley when Beltran takes the field.

Willets Point Mar 25 2011 08:24 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

NL East 2011: The Battle of Who Could Suck Less

Ceetar Mar 25 2011 09:09 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Edgy DC wrote: I'll snicker at Utley when Beltran takes the field. Well, Beltran is doing things that would make Utley cry out in pain if he tried and is actually on a plan and course to be ready. But I agree, besides not drafting him in fantasy leagues, I'll save snickering at Utley for game 4 when Reyes lashes one past Castillo at second.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 25 2011 09:55 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Have you seen the photos of Utley fielding grounders while sitting in a chair? I'm not at all sure what the point of that was.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 25 2011 09:57 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

To make me laugh out loud?

Ceetar Mar 25 2011 11:24 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Have you seen the photos of Utley fielding grounders while sitting in a chair? I'm not at all sure what the point of that was. Last year there were reports of Beltran sitting in a chair tracking pitches, but at least that had a purpose. I missed those Utley pictures though.

Willets Point Mar 25 2011 06:46 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Oh dear, why would anyone:

Benjamin Grimm Mar 25 2011 07:06 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I seem to remember seeing a Mets logo with the word "Phillies" instead. Maybe a year or two ago. I don't know which side is supposed to be insulted by which version.

soupcan Mar 25 2011 07:09 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I agree. What is that shirt supposed to mean? That the Mets wish they were the Phillies? That the Phillies are going to be bad like the Mets? That the Phillies 'own' the Mets? I don't get it.

Willets Point Mar 25 2011 07:35 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

According to the people selling these shirts: What better way to annoy the opposition than by co-opting their logo? Watch that high-five from an unsuspecting rival fan turn into a fist of confusion and rage before your very eyes! Uh yeah, whatever gets your rocks off.

soupcan Mar 25 2011 07:40 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

So it's a shirt for Mets fans? Good luck to the sellers. I wouldn't be caught dead in it.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 28 2011 07:17 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

I got an e-mail from Amazon.com suggesting that I might want to read this book. Ummm... no.

metirish Mar 28 2011 07:20 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I got an e-mail from Amazon.com suggesting that I might want to read this book. Ummm... no. I'm surprised it even found a publisher(not that I know anything about that trade) , and at 128 pages it's a bit light not just on facts I assume.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 28 2011 08:44 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

metirish wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I got an e-mail from Amazon.com suggesting that I might want to read this book. Ummm... no. I'm surprised it even found a publisher(not that I know anything about that trade) , and at 128 pages it's a bit light not just on facts I assume. Yes, but it's surprisingly bulky, thanks largely to the embossed commemorative terry-cloth rag, for cleanup after Phils fans mess themselves over the offseason champeenship.

Ceetar Mar 29 2011 07:13 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Why is the cover talking about the Phillies offense when it's a picture of the pitchers?

Ceetar Mar 29 2011 07:16 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

If you look closely at that cover, you'll also notice the Yankees have clinched a playoff spot.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 29 2011 09:20 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Not pictured: Makeup lady behind photographer wearing a "Corgis Suck" t-shirt, so as to rile up Hamels enough to get him scowling.

Edgy DC Mar 29 2011 09:30 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Oh dear, why would anyone: This might have been 36% more clever if they replaced the Liberty Bell silhouette with one of a New York icon. The Statue of Liberty's head or something. Or maybe the bridge from the Mets logo.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 29 2011 09:37 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

The opposite version does have a Philadelphia skyline.

Edgy DC Mar 29 2011 09:46 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

There you go --- 36% more clever.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 31 2011 10:37 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Inspired by Chase Utley?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 13 2011 09:45 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

It's a sturdy, shopworn maxim that applies to standup, sales pitches, and surviving in Philadelphia: know your audience. This isn't it, Mrs. Ryan Madson. "I hate the fans. It is bad enough that they bother us during the season, but they will not leave us alone in December when we go out to eat. We stayed here during the off season last year, but we will be going to California this year. There must be something particularly bad about Phillies fans because all the players leave in the off season." Good luck in the home 8th, Ryan-- you'll probably want to take a zigzag path to the mound now.

Edgy DC Apr 14 2011 07:00 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Whoah. Let's offer them Castillo. No, wait.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 14 2011 09:46 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Leaving aside how it'll likely be received in a town like Philadelphia... essentially, she's complaining because the fans like her husband and treat him familiarly.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 27 2011 11:35 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Roy Oswalt was removed from the game last night, left the park, and hasn't yet come back. Phils officials say he's out "for personal reasons."

Ceetar Apr 27 2011 11:37 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Roy Oswalt was removed from the game last night, left the park, and hasn't yet come back. Phils officials say he's out "for personal reasons." That's... interesting. It's like how Manny retired. Just walked off the field, into the clubhouse and out the front door, never to be heard of again.

soupcan Apr 27 2011 01:42 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

WFAN just said that Oswalt's departure has to do with 'tornado activity near his home in Mississippi'.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 27 2011 01:44 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Wow, that's strange. How could Oswalt leaving the team cause a tornado in Mississippi?

Ceetar Apr 27 2011 01:46 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

soupcan wrote: WFAN just said that Oswalt's departure has to do with 'tornado activity near his home in Mississippi'. a saw a link that his parents house was messed up in a tornado last september. Hope everyone's okay but if he ends up with an even stiffer back from heavy lifting or extra plane flights...

Frayed Knot Apr 27 2011 01:54 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Also the closer Contreras who's in for the injured closer Lidge is now himself injured and will be out for several weeks. Whoever is responsible for this weekend's KTE should take note of this ... oh wait, that's me!

Ceetar Apr 27 2011 01:58 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Frayed Knot wrote: Also the closer Contreras who's in for the injured closer Lidge is now himself injured and will be out for several weeks. Whoever is responsible for this weekend's KTE should take note of this ... oh wait, that's me! The Phillies also haven't scored more than 4 runs in like 2 weeks.

Ceetar Apr 27 2011 02:01 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Ceetar wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Also the closer Contreras who's in for the injured closer Lidge is now himself injured and will be out for several weeks. Whoever is responsible for this weekend's KTE should take note of this ... oh wait, that's me! The Phillies also haven't scored more than 4 runs in like 2 weeks. Of course I now see they're playing right now and have a 3-0 lead trying to not get swept by the Diamondbacks and joe Saunders, who I started in our fantasy league.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 27 2011 02:06 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Roy Oswalt inhabits a world without cell-phone service. He's headed down there to tell them to be sure to shut the windows.

Frayed Knot Apr 27 2011 02:24 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Roy Oswalt inhabits a world without cell-phone service. Maybe he should be in Edgy's movie.

Edgy DC Apr 28 2011 07:26 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Frayed Knot wrote: Also the closer Contreras who's in for the injured closer Lidge is now himself injured and will be out for several weeks. Whoever is responsible for this weekend's KTE should take note of this ... oh wait, that's me! I'm forseeing this great tumble of dominos where the Phillies big shot starters get frustrated and start grumbling at having a bunch of fakirs trying to close out their starts for them, and the team reponds by getting all desperate and switching Hamels to closing duties. Publickly, he's happy to make the switch for the sake of the TEAM ("I'm looking forward to the challenge; have you seen my hot wife?"), but he's grumbling in private almost immediately and it leaks out and he sucks at it anyway and his career development is delayed by the whole fiasco, and Tracksuit is happy because he has something to write about.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 28 2011 11:08 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Could be; in the meantime, auxilliary parts keep going down-- Carlos Ruiz left yesterday's win in the first with a recurrence of earlier lower back pain, and he looks unlikely to play this weekend, at the very least. That might be a blessing for the Phils; along with Ibanez and OilSpill, Ruiz has been part of a triumverate that's gone 1-for-63 in the last week.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 29 2011 11:24 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Carlos Ruiz will sit out a couple of nights, but miss out on missing out for an extended period. Catcher Dane Sardinha will likely come up from AAA for depth purposes, still. OTOH, Joe Blanton was just DLed with a sore elbow, with Vance Worley of the Reading Worleys will come up and get tonight's start.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 29 2011 11:26 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 29 2011 11:37 AM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

soupcan Apr 29 2011 12:27 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

The Dennis Hopper - Christopher Walken scene is the BEST thing in that movie (perhaps ALL movies).

TransMonk Apr 29 2011 12:32 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

Tarantino sure can write some good shit. One of my faves.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 29 2011 12:44 PM Re: Road to A Championship: the 2011 Phillies

"You... you're part eggplant!" (Between that and some of the Pulp Fiction dialogue... my God, he churned out some good stuff.)